Slowly but surely, the United States is proving itself to be a contender in the race to become powered (at least partially) by renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydropower. Evidence to support this claim comes from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA). In March of 2017, the United States generated 10 percent of total electric from solar power and wind power — a first in history. This is remarkable news, considering the President of the country opposes renewable energy investments and the head of the EPA has numerous ties to the oil industry.

As Inhabitatreports, energy generated from the two renewable energy sources made up approximately seven percent of the nation’s electricity generation in 2016. A three percent increase in one year may not seem like much, but it signifies positive change.

The report notes how seasons impact the amount of clean energy that can be generated in the country. In Texas and Oklahoma, for instance, it is more common for wind electricity generation to reach its peak in the spring. In comparison, the amount of wind energy generated in California usually reaches its height in the summer. Unsurprisingly, solar output is at its highest in the summer due to longer daylight hours.

The EIA report goes on to predict that this is just the beginning of the US generating more than 10 percent of its electricity from clean energy sources. Based on weather patterns from previous years, the EIA predicted that the country would again generate over 10 percent of its electricity from renewables in April. In either the spring or fall, solar and wind combined tend to generate the cleanest energy, said the administration.

So far, wind turbines are providing more energy output than solar. Only California and Arizona generated more solar energy than wind energy in the year 2016. Incredibly, Texas generated the most wind energy out of all 50 states. Additionally, the state of Iowa can boast it generated 37 percent of its power from renewables. Approximately six other states generated about 20% of their energy needs from wind and solar.

Though the United States will be withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement, it has been made clear by numerous politicians that individual states will continue to reduce their collective carbon footprint and invest in green technologies. What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!

FAIR USE NOTICE. Many of the articles on this site contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making this material available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental issues, human rights, economic and political democracy, and issues of social justice. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law which contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. If you wish to use such copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use'...you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. And, if you are a copyright owner who wishes to have your content removed, let us know via the "Contact Us" link at the top of the site, and we will promptly remove it.

The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Conscious Life News assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms.

Paid advertising on Conscious Life News may not represent the views and opinions of this website and its contributors. No endorsement of products and services advertised is either expressed or implied.